System, apparatus, and method for inhibiting operation that modifies program configuration

Abstract

An operation inhibiting system includes an image forming apparatus in which programs are installed and an operation inhibition information providing apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a configuration information storing unit to store configuration information about the installed programs, an operation inhibition information acquiring unit to transmit the configuration information to the operation inhibition information providing apparatus, and to receive operation inhibition information that is transmitted from the operation inhibition information providing apparatus in response to the configuration information, the operation inhibition information indicating on a program-specific basis whether an operation to modify a configuration of an installed program is allowed, and an operation unit to inhibit the operation on the program based on the received operation inhibition information, wherein the operation inhibition information providing apparatus includes a unit that transmits the operation inhibition information responsive to the configuration information upon receiving the configuration information.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An operation inhibiting system, comprising:
 an image forming apparatus in which one or more programs are installed; and 
 an operation inhibition information providing apparatus, 
 wherein the image forming apparatus includes: 
 a configuration information storing unit to store configuration information about the one or more installed programs; 
 an operation inhibition information acquiring unit to transmit the configuration information to the operation inhibition information providing apparatus, and to receive operation inhibition information that is transmitted from the operation inhibition information providing apparatus in response to the transmitted configuration information, the operation inhibition information including one or more inhibition indications that are selected to correspond to the one or more installed programs included in the transmitted configuration information, each of the one or more inhibition indications indicating on a program-specific basis whether an operation to modify a configuration of a corresponding one of the one or more installed programs is allowed; and 
 an operation unit to receive a request to perform an operation on a program that is one of the one or more installed programs, and to determine, based on the received operation inhibition information, whether the requested operation is performable, 
 wherein the operation inhibition information providing apparatus includes an operation inhibition information providing unit that transmits the operation inhibition information including the one or more inhibition indications that are selected to correspond to the one or more installed programs included in the configuration information received from the image forming apparatus. 
 
     
     
       2. The operation inhibiting system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the operation inhibition information providing apparatus further includes an operation inhibition information storing unit that stores the operation inhibition information responsive to the configuration information, and the operation inhibition information providing unit retrieves the operation inhibition information responsive to the received configuration information from the operation inhibition information storing unit to transmit the retrieved operation inhibition information to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
       3. The operation inhibiting system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the operation inhibition information providing apparatus further includes an interdependency storing unit that stores interdependency between the one or more programs, and wherein the operation inhibition information providing unit generates the operation inhibition information indicating that the operation is not allowed with respect to a program that is depended upon by another program among the one or more programs included in the received configuration information according to the interdependency storing unit, and transmits the generated operation inhibition information to the image forming apparatus. 
     
     
       4. The operation inhibiting system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the operation inhibition information acquiring unit stores the received operation inhibition information in operation inhibition information management unit, and the operation inhibition information management unit manages the operation inhibition information with respect to the one or more installed programs in an integrated manner. 
     
     
       5. An operation inhibiting method in an operation inhibiting system including an operation inhibition information providing apparatus and an image forming apparatus in which one or more programs are installed, comprising:
 transmitting, by the image forming apparatus, configuration information about the one or more installed programs stored in a configuration information storing unit to the operation inhibition information providing apparatus; 
 receiving, by the image forming apparatus, operation inhibition information that is transmitted from the operation inhibition information providing apparatus in response to the configuration information, the operation inhibition information including one or more inhibition indications that are selected to correspond to the one or more installed programs included in the transmitted configuration information, each of the one or more inhibition indications indicating on a program-specific basis whether an operation to modify a configuration of a corresponding one of the one or more installed programs is allowed; 
 determining, in the image forming apparatus, upon receiving a request to perform an operation on a program that is one of the one or more installed programs, whether the requested operation is performable based on the received operation inhibition information; and 
 transmitting, by the operation inhibition information providing apparatus, the operation inhibition information including the one or more inhibition indications that are selected to correspond to the one or more installed programs included in the configuration information received from the image forming apparatus.